I just read a nicely-written piece by Dr. Jim Taylor, regarding the psychology of UI – in it he talks about five dimensions when someone (you or I) are choosing a UI that we like. A couple of these I have included below – the rest you’ll have to follow the link to the original article for:
The first dimension that struck me is perhaps the most obvious, namely, functionality. Different people have different needs. For some, it is a business tool to maximize efficiency through email, contacts, and calendars. For others, it is a toy for entertainment, with an emphasis on music, Internet, texting, and photos. And for still others, the smartphone is, well, a phone. Each set of needs requires a different type of UI that best satisfies those needs.
One more dimension that seems to be of importance is efficiency which is translated into being able to launch an application in the fewest number of maneuvers. For example, on my Fuze running TF3D2, I’m able to directly access more than 15 applications through the touch screen and physical buttons with just one touch. And thanks to the iPhone Today and Manila Today Page, I can access my most popular programs in one touch and a swipe or two.
I’m quite a fan of the whole study of user experience, and it’s nice to sell a well-written piece on the subject. My comment on the matter is that a particular UI is only good, if YOU think it’s good – no matter what the weight of evidence might be to suggest something is good or bad, it’s your opinion only that counts – particularly if you are the guy/girl holding the credit card to buy the device with that UI!
Have a read of the full article here.